


Darkness Sings a Forlorn Song

by narnet



Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game), Guild Wars Series (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Heart of Thorns, Nameless Female Sylvari Commander
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 22:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11838687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narnet/pseuds/narnet
Summary: The Pale Reavers are rescued. The Pact is wary. The Commander offers comfort in the form of a song.





	Darkness Sings a Forlorn Song

"Everything all right, Commander? You look pale."

Rox's words shook the Commander out of her stupor, and she blinked into the firelight. "Thank you, but I'm all right," she murmured, not missing the suspicious glance Explorer Metella shot in her direction. She hoped that would be the extent of the charr's hostility, but that hope was quickly dashed when Metella let out a sigh that was more growl than breath.

"I'm not so sure having a sylvari calling the shots here is such a great idea."

Maybe it wasn't intentional, but her mutter was just loud enough to be heard, and the others within earshot gaped at her words.

"Still your tongue!" Gatt hissed. "You forget your place."

Metella shifted, bristling. "I have just as much a right to speak my mind as any of you!" she snapped back, still keeping her voice low but not trying to hide her words. She gave the Commander another look, more brazen this time. "You think we can afford to let our guard down? After what happened to Destiny's Edge? If anything happens to us, what hope is there for the rest of the fools out there?"

"Don't think we don't know what you're saying," Canach said in a hard tone from across the fire, his expression shrouded by the shadows. "The Commander is no more likely to fall than any of us!"

"Of course you're on her side, sylvari," Metella sneered.

The Commander stood. "Enough!" The group fell silent, and she gave them a stern look. "It has been a long, hard day for us all. Go and get some rest."

After a moment, and a few "yes, commander"s, most of the group moved away to their bedrolls. Metella lingered, and when the Commander looked at her, she scoffed. "How am I supposed to sleep when the lot of them could turn on us any minute?" She jerked her head left, towards the cluster of rescued soldiers huddled together. "Don't pretend it's not a risk."

The Commander took a deep breath. "Stay on watch if you wish," she said. "I'll go see to them."

She could feel Metella's gaze on her back as she walked away from the fire.

They didn't understand what it was to be sylvari. None of them could, save Canach and Laranthir. The connection they all shared was a powerful thing. They might put on a brave face, but she could feel the fear emanating from the Reavers in waves, their terror at the thought that they might be turned before the night was over.

She reached the group and knelt. They watched her with solemn eyes.

"They don't trust us," one man said at last. It was not a question.

The Commander hesitated, but she would not lie to them. "They fear what they do not understand.”

One woman held another tighter. "But... so do we."

"That's right."

"So do we!"

The Commander looked at their faces. Many were still strong enough to fight, but not all, and they feared for their bretheren, for themselves. Away from the fire, the darkness seemed to be closing in. She could feel the call of Mordremoth, faint but ever-present, and she felt sick at the knowledge that such a being shared the bond that connected her people.

She could also feel Metella's eyes on them.

She reached out and took the nearest hand, that of a female soldier who looked barely old enough to have left the Tree. She recalled their mother's spirit, strong and kind, forgiving yet unyielding, faith stronger than any doubt. The sylvari were afraid once more, and out here there was no Tree to guide them. They looked to their commander, instead.

She could hear something, a song, in the back of her mind. It was the voice of the Pale Tree. Her next words followed its melody.

"Fear not this night," she sang quietly, "you will not go astray. Though shadows fall, still the stars find a way..." The solider squeezed her hand, and others huddled closer. "Awaken from a quiet sleep, hear the whispering of the wind. Awaken as the silence grows in the solitude of the night." Recognition filled their eyes; they heard it, too. Her voice grew stronger. "Darkness spreads through all the land, and your weary eyes open silently. Sunsets have forsaken all the most far-off horizons."

Sylvari were listening, she could feel it. Perhaps even more of them than the Pales Reavers who sat before her. "Nightmares come when shadows grow... lift your voice, lift your hope..." She smiled at them, holding tight to the hands of a few, holding tight to them all in her mind. "Fear not this night, you will not go astray. Though shadows fall, still the stars find a way. And you can always be strong... Lift your voice with the first light of dawn."

Their fear was receding. "Dawn's just a heartbeat away," she finished softly, as calm settled over them at last. “Hope is just a sunrise away.”

She stayed there a while longer before returning to the main camp. Metella feigned sleep, but her ears were perked up. She'd been listening.

Laranthir was waiting for her at her spot by the fire. "Thank you," he said quietly. Canach was lying down now, silent, but his eyes glittered in the darkness.

The Commander nodded. "I hope that it reached the Marshal, as well," she murmured.

"Your will was strong, Commander. I am sure that he heard it too." He put a hand on her shoulder. "You should sleep. I'll keep watch."

The Commander felt the urging of the sylari, their gratitude and concern. _Sleep. Sleep now._ She suddenly felt very weary. She took the few steps to her bedroll and lay down.

Everyone would be safe come morning. She just had to have faith.

**Author's Note:**

> Fear Not This Night may have been the theme song of the personal story, but the lyrics always make me think of sylvari fighting against the call of Mordremoth. I have a lot of feelings about this.
> 
> If anyone is interested, I've recently done a duet cover of this song with a friend of mine, which you can find on [youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqL69G8qFpc) or on [tumblr!](http://narnet.tumblr.com/post/164137830316)


End file.
